Udell Lookout Tower is a fire lookout in Manistee County, Michigan. It is part of Manistee National Forest. The nearest town is Manistee, about 18.3 km (11.4 mi) away (Udell Lookout Tower lies ESE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 100 m (328 ft). It dates from 1936. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Udell Lookout Tower is a fire lookout tower located on Forest Road 5207 in the Manistee section of the Huron-Manistee National Forests, near Wellston, Michigan. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.From the Wikipedia article “Udell Lookout Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Udell Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:49 AM | 90° E | 7:57 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:02 AM | 55° NE | 9:32 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:32 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:17 AM | 123° ESE | 5:09 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Lookouts are built for 360° views, so sunrise and sunset are both options — use the azimuths to decide which view you want.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:45 AM | 8:17 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 7:15 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:29 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:36 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:07 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:55 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:02 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:31 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:39 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:41 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:01 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:40 PM | 8h 53m |
Local time (America/Detroit), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Udell Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:37 AM – 6:17 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:34 AM – 5:04 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:57 PM – 3:27 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:42 PM – 2:12 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:43 PM – 12:13 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:36 PM – 10:06 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.78 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 71% average cloud cover) and April as the cloudiest (88%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 45 | 46 | 64 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 85 | 84 | 80 | 75 | 62 | 55 |
| Low °F | 0 | -11 | -4 | 20 | 30 | 37 | 50 | 55 | 45 | 34 | 16 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this fire lookout
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer and early autumn; many towers are staffed only during fire season.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Warm layers. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Udell Lookout Tower, closest first.
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Marzinski Horse Campground5.3 km (3.3 mi) · reservable
- Sand Lake Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Upper Manistee River Backcountry Campsites21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Bridge24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Lake Michigan At Manistee28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Udell Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Udell Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Udell Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Udell Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Udell Lookout Tower?
How far is Udell Lookout Tower from Manistee?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.